International efforts to help Türkiye and Syria are getting underway, as tens of thousands of people who lost their homes in Monday's catastrophic earthquake huddle around campfires in the bitter cold and clamour for food and water.
There are now more than 20,000 people confirmed dead.
Warning: This story contains imagery some readers may find disturbing.
Emergency crews used pick axes, shovels and jackhammers to dig through twisted metal and concrete — and occasionally still pulled out survivors, but in some places, their focus shifted to demolishing unsteady buildings.
While stories of miraculous rescues briefly buoyed spirits, the grim reality of the hardship facing survivors cast a pall over devastated communities.
The death toll across both countries has now surpassed the more than 17,000 killed in 1999 when a similarly powerful quake hit north-west Turkey.
It also exceeds the toll of a 2011 earthquake off Fukushima, Japan, that triggered a tsunami, killing more than 18,400 people.
In Sydney on Friday morning, 72 emergency service personnel were preparing to fly out of the Richmond Airbase to Türkiye, where they will stay for 2 weeks to assist in the rescue and recovery effort.
The team was bringing specialised rescue equipment and as well as their own tents and supplies, so as not to drain local resources that are already stretched to the limit.
In north-west Syria, the first UN aid trucks to enter the rebel-controlled area from Türkiye since the quake arrived, underscoring the difficulty of getting help to people in the country riven by civil war.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Thursday to express continued support and discuss how the US can continue efforts to provide assistance in Türkiye and Syria, the State Department said.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the US had demanded unhindered humanitarian access to Syria, and urged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government to immediately allow aid through all border crossings.
"We are grateful to the government of Turkey, for moving swiftly to reopen border crossings so aid can flow into non regime areas of northern Syria," he said.
On Thursday UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he would be "very happy" if the UN could use more than one border crossing to deliver help to north-western Syria.
The United States later announced it would send $US85 million ($122.5 million) in initial earthquake aid to Türkiye and Syria.
The relief includes medicine, food and shelter along with other supplies, President Joe Biden said on Thursday (local time).
"Our hearts remain with the people of Türkiye and Syria," Mr Biden said.
'It's not possible to live here' In the Turkish city of Antakya, dozens scrambled for aid in front of a truck distributing children's coats and other supplies.
One survivor, Ahmet Tokgoz, called for the government to evacuate people from the region.
Many of those who have lost their homes found shelter in tents, stadiums and other temporary accommodation, but others have slept outdoors.
"Especially in this cold, it is not possible to live here," he said.
Winter weather and damage to roads and airports have hampered the response in both Türkiye and Syria.
Some in Türkiye have complained the response was too slow — a perception that could hurt President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at a time when he faces a tough battle for re-election in May.
Mr Erdoğan, who continued touring devastated areas on Thursday, has sought to deflect criticism and said the response was improving.
He renewed a promise to survivors that destroyed homes would be rebuilt within a year, and said the government will distribute 10,000 Turkish lira ($763) to affected families.
Hope dwindles as rescue turns to recovery In the Turkish town of Elbistan, rescuers stood atop the rubble of a collapsed home and pulled out an elderly woman.
Teams called for quiet in the hope of hearing stifled pleas for help, and the Syrian paramedic group known as the White Helmets noted "every second could mean saving a life".
But more and more often, the teams pulled out dead bodies. In Antakya, over 100 bodies were awaiting identification in a makeshift morgue outside a hospital.
With the chances of finding people alive in the rubble dwindling, teams in some places began demolishing buildings.
In Adiyaman, journalists saw a resident plead with rescuers to look through the rubble of a building where relatives were trapped.
The crew refused, saying there was no one alive there, and they had to prioritise areas where there may be survivors.
A man, who gave only his name as Ahmet out of fear of government retribution, later asked: "How can I go home and sleep? My brother is there. He may still be alive."
In Nurdagi, throngs of onlookers — mostly family members of people trapped inside — watched as heavy machines ripped at one building that had collapsed, its six floors pancaked together.
Mehmet Yilmaz watched from a distance, estimating that around 80 people were still beneath the rubble but that it was unlikely any would be found alive.
"There's no hope," said Mr Yilmaz, 67, who had six relatives, including a 3-month-old baby, trapped inside.
"We can't give up our hope in God, but they entered the building with listening devices and dogs, and there was nothing."
Authorities called off search-and-rescue operations in the cities of Kilis and Sanliurfa, where destruction was not as severe as in other impacted regions.
Türkiye's disaster management agency said more than 110,000 rescue personnel were now taking part in the effort and more than 5,500 vehicles, including tractors, cranes, bulldozers and excavators had been shipped.
The Foreign Ministry said 95 countries have offered help.
More than half of that number have sent a total of nearly 6,500 rescuers. Another 2,400 more are still expected to arrive.
International aid for Syria has been hampered by the civil war and the isolation of the rebel-held region along the border that is surrounded by Russia-backed government forces.
Syria itself is an international pariah under Western sanctions linked to the war.
[Story: ABC]
Original article link: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-10/turkiye-syria-earthquake-death-toll-surpasses-20-000/101955226?fbclid=IwAR2HcUBaWexufCpgrzl3KVQrdMhuEoyvMw1m5ijVbINeUa46_ZKVfwsUOkE
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